Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-01
CHAPTER V.
THE FIRE.

sucked bis breath and scorched his hair. He
had barely time to save himself by the win
dow through which Myra had vanished like
spirit.
Where was she now! Was she perishing in
the flames with the childrenl She was not on
the veranda. Fire and smoke poured from
all the windows and mounted to the roof. They
drove him from the veranda. He sprang
down the iron supports to the ground. lie
ran around the burning building crying for
help. The cook and the coachman fitted
past him These were all the persons in the
house at the time, except his wife and chill
dren. The crowd came pouring in from the
street, and in another moment the grounds
were full of people. The house was mass
of flame. Heavensl were his boys in there
He fanciet he heard a cry. He dartcd toward
the fire lik an Insane person. Strong mon
caught him by .e wrists and held him back.
In scarcely more time than it takes to read
this the fire had done its work. Only the
bare outer walls of the house were left. The
inner walls had fallen in. What had they
buried under their direful ruins? One banded
Philip some clothing. He had forgotten he
had only his night clothes on.
1t was pitiful thing so see him, crying for
his children, calling them by their names,
searching for them under the trees, peering
into corners of the outbuildings, if haply
they might not be hidden there. All that
night he went on crazier than his insane wife.
Toward morning he remembered that he was
a man. He collected himself.
Messengers, descriptions of the lost children
were sent in every direction. There were
DAYS. weeks of heartache for the stricken ia
Their, but no tidings of his darlings came
Where was his wife? 1t was the conclu-
sion, at first thought, that she had been burned
to death, and buried under the ruins. In his
agony that night Philip had not given much
| thought to her. But next morning message
came from Myra's mother His wife was aJ
her house, and would he, her husband, take
her away at once and provide for her! She
had fed there in the night, from the fire.
| Madam did not feel safe to have her i'll the
house.
Philip had no home for her now. There
remained only one place, The poor, de
mented creature went to a lunatic asylum.
Tho origin of the fire was matter of mys-
terry. Nothing certain could be found out
But the day after it happened the coachnan
came to Philip with the air of one who had
something to communicate.
at don't look well in man tn be telling
tales on woman, Mr.. Dumoray," he said
"But Mary, who tended on Mrs. Dumoray,
left her last night and went TO ball.
saw her at midnight l was out myself, and
| don't deny it, and didn't come home till
o'clock. / saw bright light in the library,
where the piles of newspapers are. thought
it was you up reading, and didn't look IN
l went by casylike, for didn't want you to
| know | was out so late. put off my shoes
and slipped around to the back stairs. saw
Mrs Dumoray going along the hall toward
your room, with a night lamp in her hand.
There was nobody to watch her, and she
slipped out and think it was her set the
| house afre,"
Philip thought so too remembering what he
had seen. But the boys, his children! Had
she carried them in their sleep into her own
room, or into the library, before she lit the
fire2 1t was an awful thought.
The boys were at first given up to have
persisted in the burning building But Mr..
Dumoray had yet to learn the depth of
deviltry and cunning of which insane hate is
capable New troubles awaited him. He had
none to whom he could turn for help. His
father and mother were now both dead. They
had never been the same to him after his
| marriage 1t had caused them a dispeasure
and disappointment they were never quite
able to overcome He took lodgings near the
ruins of his home, resolved to penetrate the
mystery of the disappearance Of his boys.
He had had the debris of the building care
fully dug out and examined. A council OF
eminent experts was summoned. They
searched the burned remains. No trace of
bone or of flesh could be found. After laying
their heads together they rendered an opinion
of wisdom and profundity such as only
medical and chemical experts can give.
The law has waxen nose, which the law
yer can turn to the right or left as he pleases,
says the German proverb. So has medicine.
The verdict of the learned ones was on this
wise:
"The undersigned have to report that they
have carefully examined different portions of
the ashes and embers taken from the ruins of
Mr.. Philip Dumoray's house. They have
subjected the same to rigid analysis In their
Judgment traces have been found of a sub
stance which may be construed to be the
ashes of human remains. At tho same time
they deem it necessary to state that similar
ash is sometimes the residuum from the con
sumption by fire of other organic compounds.
JAMES BENSON, NJ. D.,
"H I. ToMPKINs, M. D.,
~. l.. BOYD, Pharmacist
Here was wisdom.
| Philip Dumoray was just where he was be-
fore What should he do nextl He sought
every possible source of information. He
examined the newspapers with fear and hope
every morning, only to be overcome with
the same dull, dead despair. One morning,
for his comfort and encouragement this met
his eye
Breeders of Tho Daily News will remember
the mysterious fire which destroyed Mr.
Philip Dumoray's house on Linden street q
few weeks ago. At the time there were many
con lectures as to its origin, but none that
seemed to offer a solution of the mystery
Among tho rumors current is the unpleasant
one that Mr.. Dumoray set fire to his own
house, The gentleman's wife is out of her
mind and is now in the Iron Gate asylum
I The unfortunate Mrs Dumorav was before